I can usually tell within moments whether a home feels finished. Not styled. Not decorated. Not expensive. Finished.

Once you start seeing the difference between expensive and valuable, your choices begin to change. You become less interested in what makes a quick impact and more drawn to what quietly earns your loyalty.

I’ve always paid attention to what I don’t reach for first. Not the hotel everyone insists you have to stay in. Not the destination that suddenly becomes a rite of passage. Not the accessory that defines a season simply because everyone agrees it does. They’re often beautiful—but beauty alone has never been the point. I’m more interested in what lingers quietly on the periphery, waiting to be noticed.